The aircraft was carrying 43 passengers — including five children
Russian emergency teams have located the burning fuselage of an Antonov-24 passenger plane that disappeared from radar during a flight in the country’s Far East, officials confirmed on Thursday.
The aircraft, operated by Angara Airlines, vanished around 1:00pm local time (0400 GMT) during a domestic flight from Blagoveshchensk to Tynda.
Officials said rescuers aboard the helicopter saw no visible signs of survivors, and that rugged terrain was delaying access by ground teams.
According to Russia’s Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor’s Office, the An-24 was on a second landing attempt when it lost contact with air traffic control.
“While approaching Tynda Airport, the aircraft went around for a second landing, after which contact was lost,” the prosecutor’s statement read.
Flight path took plane near Chinese border
The aircraft had initially departed from Khabarovsk, before heading to Blagoveshchensk—near the Chinese border—and onward to Tynda.
Officials said the plane failed to check in at a designated checkpoint just a few kilometres from Tynda Airport.
Conflicting reports on passenger count
Amur region governor Vasily Orlov said the plane was carrying 43 passengers, including five children, along with six crew members.
Russia’s Emergency Ministry, however, reported a total of 48 people on board, with the discrepancy yet to be clarified.
Search and rescue effort underway
“All necessary forces and means have been deployed to search for the plane,” Governor Orlov wrote on Telegram.
The Amur region’s civil defence agency confirmed that 25 personnel and five vehicles were on-site, with four aircraft on standby for the ongoing search and recovery mission.
Search operations are focused primarily by air due to challenging terrain and poor ground access, emergency sources told TASS news agency.
Adverse weather and ageing aircraft under scrutiny
Local media reported bad weather conditions in the area at the time of the crash. Several outlets also noted the aircraft’s age, saying it was nearly 50 years old, based on its tail number.
Despite its age, the aircraft’s airworthiness certificate had reportedly been extended to 2036, according to Russian news agencies.
The Antonov-24, a Soviet-designed turboprop introduced in the late 1950s, remains in service in remote areas of Russia, where aviation incidents involving ageing aircraft are a recurring concern.
Investigation launched into possible safety violations
Authorities have opened a criminal investigation into potential violations of flight safety rules resulting in multiple deaths, a standard procedure following aviation disasters in Russia.
As of Thursday evening, Angara Airlines, which is based in Irkutsk, had not released a public statement regarding the incident.
